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Sendyan and Steak House

Bob, Lucas, and I tried out two restaurants recently. A few weeks ago we went to Sendyan (top two photos), and today we went to Steak House (bottom two).

I liked Sendyan, but to be honest I enjoyed the décor and the view more than the food and the service, which were just alright.

Steak House was fun -- quirky, loud, and the food was good, even though I’m not much of a steak eater. The most hilarious thing was the pail of uncracked peanuts on the center of the table. The custom there is to crack the nuts and throw the shells onto the floor, but I COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO DO IT. The thought of throwing junk onto the floor made me so uncomfortable! Anyway, I finally did it, but after throwing two peanut shells on the floor I just couldn’t take it and stopped eating them entirely. Oh man.

Unattended Bags

Israelis take bomb threats very seriously. And unattended bags. If you’re sitting on a bus and there’s a bag sitting in the seat across the aisle, the old woman next to you will ask, “Is that your bag?” When you say no, she’ll ask the person behind you. “Is that your bag?” “No.” Then she’ll stand up and call out, “Whose bag is this? This black bag? Who does it belong to?” When no one responds, the bus will come to a halt and everyone will be escorted off the bus while the driver contacts the authorities to investigate.

Sometimes an unattended bag might be left on the street. A resident will walk by, see the bag, and contact the authorities. When the squad arrives, they’ll clear the area and send a robot (see below) to examine the bag and, I think, blow it to pieces -- though I haven’t seen that part with my own eyes.

Fuchsia Foliage

The colors in the first photo weren’t enhanced at all.

Two Bright Orbs

Very round street lamp on Leon Blum.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

One of my closest friends from high school, Shannon, has three children. Her eldest is Ethan.

Shannon was reading an e-mail from me and laughed out loud (I can be funny sometimes). Ethan overheard her and asked what was so funny, so she started the long explanation of her friend who is about to have a baby.

“Who is it, Mom?”

“Well, she lives in Israel, far away...”

Apparently Shannon has been teaching him a lot about geography, and they’ve discussed Asia extensively, but Israel has never come up. So Ethan asked, “Is Israel on earth??”

Shannon ended her e-mail to me like this:

“Just when you’re getting a little belly, and starting to feel that little one move inside you, and you think an alien has overtaken your body -- just remember that there is a little five-year old out there who is wondering if you even live on this planet.”

I love it.

Sleeping In

I slept a lot this weekend. It was really all I wanted to do, aside from watching episodes of The Office.

I got out of bed, reluctantly, to eat and stuff. And to fold clothes. And to go to Negeen’s baby shower, then to an inspiring talk on Friday night.

But really, the bed is where I belong.

Preparing the Way

Even though I feel hugely unprepared, in every way, to have a child in three months, at least we’ve started getting a few things in order.

We’ve obtained some items for the baby, like a crib and a changing table; we’ve obtained some items for me, like a washer/dryer (the controls are in German) and a papasan chair; we’ve also obtained some items for future visitors, like a twin bed and an area rug.

Now everyone has a place to sleep. Baby? Check. Husband? Check. My mom when she comes to visit in December? Check. Me? Check (on the papasan chair, since it’s usually easier to sleep sitting up rather than lying down).

Zaynab’s Visit, Jesse’s Visit

I’ve known Zaynab since second grade. Years later, she decided she was a Bahá’í, then we were roommates briefly in Chicago, and a few weeks ago, she came on pilgrimage to Haifa. It’s extraordinary how our histories go so far back and are so intertwined.

Jesse, who once lived in Chicago but now lives in Greece, was visiting Haifa at the same time. We invited Zaynab and Jesse over for dinner and had a great time catching up.

Oh, and the joke’s probably lost here, but it was funny at the time: that’s Jesse and Zaynab pointing to Eric’s not-pregnant belly.

Am I Ready for This Journey?

I’ve been having the same dream, with different details. In it, I’m almost about to board a plane, train, ferry, or a cruise ship when I realize I haven’t packed my bags.

How We Spent Our Fifth Anniversary

Since we just went on vacation a few weeks ago, neither of us felt the need to have an extravagant anniversary celebration, so we just had a lovely lunch at Greg Gallery Cafe and then spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, and watching movies. It was so nice.

It was our first time at Greg Gallery, and we really liked it. It has a chic-but-rustic European vibe (Hezzie, the décor reminded me of you!), and the food is kill-me-now kind of yummy.

How I wish that every day could be our anniversary... Then we could have 29-shekel desserts after all our meals.

Five Years Together

Tomorrow, Eric and I enter our sixth year of marriage.

It’s strange to hear myself say that we’ve been married five years, since it’s pretty much the longest I’ve survived anything.

Not that there was much to “survive,” since Eric is an easy husband -- patient, kind, honest, fun. There isn’t really anything I wish he was that he isn’t already.

Okay, maybe I wish he could apparate, but that’s probably asking too much.

Happy anniversary, my love.

10 Things I Like About Myself

(Liz tagged me.)

1. I laugh a lot.
2. I eat healthy.
3. I love people.
4. I find beauty in the ordinary.
6. I’m not a follower.
8. I’m not a stereotypical anything.
7. I’m a good designer.
5. I don’t take anything for granted.
9. I make thoughtful decisions.
10. I’ll surprise you.

Five bloggers I’m tagging (your turn to love yourself in public!):

Abi
Angela
Dena
Myk
Suzanne

Us in Budapest

I promise this is the last of the Budapest pictures.

The second picture was taken at a tiny Turkish restaurant that we found on our second day and loved so much we went back on our fourth day.

Also, you can deduce from the three pictures on the bench that I often had to stop and put my feet up. Bee hee.

Budapest’s Urban Details, Trains, and Markets

Giant Baby, 24.5 Weeks

Our obstetrician just told us that we are either having “a giant baby” or else I am 10 days more pregnant than we thought.

Mangolicious

Mangos have always been one of my favorite fruits, but here... they are the most ridiculously juicy and perfect mangos ever. I had no idea that mangos could be even more delicious than they were back home. Dang.

Remember the Mango Freeze at Joy Yee’s? If that drink was made from the mangos here, they would be running out of Mango Freeze by 11:00 am.

I am slave to the mango.

Hilton Budapest WestEnd

I know I’ve already mentioned this, but really, our hotel rocked. The service was astounding. Eric informed them I was pregnant a week before our arrival, so they gave us the biggest non-suite they had. When we arrived, they gave us maps and answered all of our (my) ridiculous questions about Budapest (“Where is H&M?”) and offered to reserve our tickets to the Philharmonic and the Danube boat ride (which we ended up doing ourselves, but it was nice that they offered). The hotel also had a fantastic weight room and rooftop terrace, not to mention beautiful design details throughout the building.

And here’s a fun fact. The Rolling Stones concert happened while we were in Budapest, and their entire stage and sound crew was staying at the Hilton. So all of the guests on our floor were affiliated with the Stones. Of course, the band itself stayed at the Four Seasons, and at all hours of the day there were at least fifteen people standing in front of the Four Seasons, hoping to catch a glimpse (and a photo) of Mick Jagger.

Below are pictures of the Hilton (and me in it).

The Thing I Miss Most

Of all the people and places and things I miss, it’s one thing in particular that breaks my heart daily.

I miss being able to read.

Is that a poster for an art exhibit? Does that sign tell me not to sit here? Which door is for the health clinic? Where the heck am I?

It sure makes me appreciate the challenges that immigrant families face in the U.S., not to mention my own parents’ move to America in the 1970s. It’s hard to believe my mom was younger than me when, in search of a better life for their children, they left their home, their jobs, and their country to start over in a place where they didn’t speak the language or understand the culture. Yet they managed. I can see now what a tremendous accomplishment it was.

Streets of Budapest

Eventually I’ll give up trying to post every picture from our measly four days in Hungary.

La Chute

It must be some kind of art-appreciation day on my blog, because:

I dig Denis Darzacq’s La Chute photographs.

Light at the Museum

I really like the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s new wing, designed by Steven Holl.

Of course, one has to wonder how much energy is being used to light this thing all night.

Best Threat I’ve Ever Heard

“You better stop or I’ll put my onion-y hands on you.”

Loving

On our one-year anniversary, I told Eric that I didn’t really love him on our wedding day. It wasn’t a lie. I mean, I loved him, but back then our love was immature compared to the love we have for each other now.

In a way, you could say I never really knew love before Eric. Sure, I love my parents, my sisters, my extended family, and even my friends. I love God and Bahá’u’lláh. Yet in marriage, my understanding of love has deepened in ways I can’t fully explain. Before Eric, I didn’t even know I had the capacity to love someone this much.

Anyway, once I realized how deeply I was able to love someone and how profoundly pleasurable the act of loving actually is, I wanted to do it more. It sounds like rubbish, but truly, my marriage has enabled me to become a more loving daughter, a more loving sister, and a more loving friend.

And still it’s not enough. My capacity to love can go much deeper than this -- I want it to go much deeper than this. Another reason why our timing for becoming parents may be spot on.

Of course, I don’t know anything about children. Not about naps, schedules, diapers, or discipline. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my marriage, it’s that I do know how to love.

So, that’s how I’m going to parent. With love.

Budapest from the Danube

Lots of pictures today.

Budapest’s Széchenyi Chain Bridge

The oldest bridge in Budapest, spanning the Danube from Buda to Pest.

Budapest’s Parliament Building

We hoped to take a tour of the interior too, but the tickets were sold out.

Other Budapest Landmarks

From top to bottom, these were some of my favorite places in Budapest:

Fisherman’s Bastion. Beautiful from any viewpoint, day or night.

Mercure Hotel Nemzeti. This has to be the first time this hotel has appeared on a list like this. But I just loved looking at it.

Boscolo’s New York Palace Hotel. I dragged Eric to this hotel in sweltering heat because I’d heard that it was an impeccable example of Italian Renaissance restoration. Neither of us were disappointed -- this has to be one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, both outside and in.

Terror Háza, or House of Terror. This is, and will likely continue to be, my most memorable museum experience ever. The rooms, the layout, the music -- I have never seen a museum so beautifully and thoughtfully designed. Or so haunting.